County coaching carousel continues

Wednesday

Mar 27, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Everybody isn't retiring from sports positions in Davidson County or moving onto something else. It just seems that way.

mike duprez

Everybody isn't retiring from sports positions in Davidson County or moving onto something else. It just seems that way.Tony Clark's decision to step down as boys basketball coach at Thomasville was just the latest thing to happen. There were plenty of others before him and others will follow, due in part to openings created by the retirements.Charles Elmore of West Davidson, Gene Poindexter of Central Davidson and Woody Huneycutt of Thomasville all announced their retirements as athletic directors effective at the end of the school year. Add in Danny Palmer's retirement as athletic director at East Davidson and that's half the county's ADs gone within the past year. They represent 120 years of institutional knowledge as well as coaching successes. Huneycutt won five state championships in boys basketball and Poindexter won three state championships in softball.Also last year, Bobby House retired from Ledford with more than 600 wins as a wrestling coach both with the Panthers and at East Davidson.It does seem that 30 — as in years — is the magic number. That's because of the way state retirement is set up. Work beyond 30 years and it's like you're working for free. Nobody wants to do that.Since the retirements were expected, the schools had time to get a succession plan in place. Football coach Dale Barnes, who had been at West since 1990, is taking over for Elmore. You don't replace Elmore, who is West Davidson. But then again, so is Barnes. It's a move that makes sense.Of course, Barnes had to give up football, a sport he loves. The demands of being athletic director now almost preclude coaching a major sport. In fact West Principal Travis Smith and Barnes are going to be real busy in the coming months. They have to find a football coach, girls basketball coach and boys soccer coach. Of particular interest is whether Bryan Lingerfelt, who recently resigned as East Davidson football coach, will succeed Barnes. David Klinkoski coached girls basketball at West for 14 years and had the misfortune of constantly having to contend with some of the best programs in the state year after year. Salisbury, Thomasville, Central Davidson and East Davidson make the Central Carolina Conference one of the toughest in the state. It will be a major challenge for the new coach to make West, which won a state championship in 1986, into a contender.Chris Brown was carrying a very heavy load coaching both boys and girls soccer — varsity and junior varsity — until he decided recently to scale back and coach the girls only, much like Greg Beall does now at North Davidson. Brown took West from being a doormat into a force in CCC soccer. Under Brown's guidance, the Dragons finished second five times in the last seven years. Salisbury has won nine consecutive CCC championships.Central doesn't have as many holes to fill and perhaps none. Girls basketball coach Kevin Hudson is succeeding Poindexter. The question is whether Hudson remains as girls coach. That hasn't been decided yet.Lexington is searching for a boys basketball coach, a position created by Robert Hairston's abrupt resignation right before the conference tournament. Interim coach Coleman Davis led the Jackets to the second round of the 2-A state playoffs. Interest in this position is bound to be very high.Thomasville had one of the top boys basketball programs in the state when Huneycutt and top assistant Lacardo Means led the Bulldogs to five 1-A state championships in an 11-year period. Clark became coach when Thomasville moved back to the 2-A ranks and the program has struggled since it rejoined the CCC. East Davidson seems set with Vance Hanner as the new football coach. It's a hire that makes perfect sense with Hanner being a former East player who was an assistant for Lingerfelt's entire 11-year stint as head coach.Looking a little ahead, John Ralls has been at Ledford 28 years. When he finally retires, it will take a while to calculate his many, many wins.Mike Duprez can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 218 or mike.duprez@the-dispatch.com.